Uplifting film project places Mercy College grandparents in the spotlight

The animated film gathered together interviews and conversations collected for the project by students. Working with artist Karen Kingham, their focus was to speak to their grandparents and residents in the area to find out their memories of growing up in Ballysillan, the people, places and its history.

The film project was one element of a wider drama and film project undertaken through the Creative Schools Programme, a landmark arts and education programme funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through the National Lottery and the Education Authority.

Mercy College is one of 11 schools taking part in the pioneering arts-based programme, which is designed to promote creative learning in schools, pairing student groups with professional artists and organisations to develop new skills and enhance their educational development across all subjects.

Head of Drama, Andrea Fryers has led the project within the school. She said: “Mercy College has been involved in the Creative Schools programme for seven years now. It’s really gone from strength to strength in that time. The film we’ve created for this most recent part of the project is called ‘You're Some Character’. For it, the young people wanted to explore what it was like to grow up in a society years ago, without social media, without technology. They wanted to interview their grandparents about what it was like to grow up in Belfast, their areas, what they did for fun, what was their music choice, what was their fashion choice. So we decided that we would have the young people themselves on screen talking to some really influential people in their lives, their grandparents.”

Marie O’Donoghue, Creative Schools Programme Manager said: “The Creative Schools programme is seen as a key initiative by the Education Authority because it supports creative learning ,raises confidence, self-esteem and engagement all of which prepare young people with the skills that they need for the challenges of the future . It shows us that creativity and education can be a very powerful tool in fostering a more inclusive and motivating learning environment for our young people. The students at Mercy College have excelled in this programme over the past seven years and we are now seeing students who were in the original pilot choosing career paths that have been directly influenced by their involvement. Creativity is not an add on to the curriculum but a core element that enriches all areas of learning. Community engagement is at the heart of Mercy College and through this programme the young people have used their local area as the stimulus for their films all of which reflect a very positive and uplifting insight into the uniqueness of their lives and culture.”

Patricia Lavery, Head of Participatory Arts at the Arts Council commented: “Mercy College has been involved in the Creative Schools Programme since it was first launched. Seven years on, the impact of this programme can really be seen within the school, the students involved are keen to learn, have forged positive connections with their community, and it’s also having an impact on the subjects they are choosing for exams and further and higher education. Working with film maker Karen Kingham, the students have really flourished and we are so proud, as I am sure they are, of the final films they have produced.”